It's All About Rising Back Up
by thesoundofsunshine
Summary: Kurt just wants to be saved. It's all about hitting rock bottom, only to be brought back up by those who love you. Twoshot.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a bit chaotic. I would like to apologize, but I kind of like it. I'm not sure where this idea came from, but it hit me like a freight train, and wouldn't let me go until I finished. I don't think I have ever written something this long in one sitting. Hell, if you make it through this entire thing, I give you major kudos.**

**Oh, I will post the second part sometime this weekend... since this is a twoshot.**

**Warning: Kurt's attempted suicide. I guess it's a bit AU, not character-wise more plot-wise, if that can be considered a warning.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. Period.**

**Summary: Kurt just wants to be saved. It's all about hitting rock bottom, only to be brought back up by those who love you.**

* * *

The wind whipped around Kurt's designer-clad body. It made his fingers tighten their grip on the bouquet of freshly cut white daisies. The chilling winds made Kurt tighten the belt on his Marc Jacobs waistcoat. The gray clouds looked ominously filled with water, but he didn't care if he got rained on. He didn't care about much these days.

His feet knew the exact route to the plot he was heading towards. It was in row eleven, twenty-seven headstones in. Though, the specific location didn't matter because he had walked the exact route for eight years. The grass was a bit sodden, but it didn't matter that his shoes were going to be coated in mud.

Kurt came to a halt in front of the gravestone of Elizabeth Grace Hummel. A shadow a smile overtook Kurt's face, as a light drizzle pattered down. He sat down beside the headstone, his fingers still tightly wrapped around the flower stems. He could feel the saturation from the ground seeping through his pants. But, it hardly fazed him.

"Hi mom," Kurt's voice cracked, as he laid the flowers down on the green grass, "I just wanted to tell you that I'll be seeing you soon."

...

"Is Kurt with you?" Blaine rushed out the second Finn had answered his damned phone. It wasn't like Blaine to lose his cool like he was now.

"Who is this?" Finn asked into the receiver, not wanting to be bothered from his game of Call of Duty with Puck to check the caller ID. In fact, he would have ignored the vibrating, but this was a phone call. And, those were more important than texts.

"It's Blaine," Blaine identified himself, before dashing right back into, "Do you know where Kurt is?"

"Nope. He should be home. I don't think he left," Finn said, knowing that he hadn't left his room since breakfast, when Puck asked him to play COD.

"Can you go check?" Blaine asked, his patience dwindling down.

"NO!" Finn screamed, as Puck delivered the kill shot to his character.

"Finn!" Blaine shouted, trying to grab the boy on the other end of the line from his shouts of rage, "This is important. I need to know where Kurt is. Don't tell me no."

"Why don't you call him?" Finn asked, as he admitted defeat to Puck, before diving right back into another game. His phone call with Blaine ruined his winning streak against Puck.

"I would call him, but his phone's off," Blaine said, gritting his teeth. Since when did Finn get so hard headed?

"Kurt! Kurt, are you home?" Finn called out, not taking the phone away from his face, or his eyes off of the screen. He waited for a moment, no answer, "I don't think he's home."

"Finn, if you hear from Kurt, can you just call me?" Blaine asked, giving up on talking to him, as he ran out to his car, his feet splashing in the puddles from the rainstorm the night before.

"Oh, yeah, sure thing dude," Finn said, happy that Blaine was finally done talking, so now he could focus on kicking Puck's ass.

"Thank you," Blaine said, shoving his key in the ignition, as his car rumbled to life.

"Bye Blaine," Finn said, as Blaine hung up. He tore it out of the Dalton parking lot, as more rain graced the windshield of his car.

...

"Do re me fa so la ti do," Rachel sang through her scale, during her daily vocal exercises. She usually put her phone on silent, as to not disturb her during this time of her day. But, she slipped up.

"I'm defying gravity," Elphaba's voice rang through the otherwise silent room.

"Hi Mercedes, this really isn't a good time to talk," Rachel said, knowing that she couldn't go more than twenty-four hours without working her voice. It was nearing the point that if she didn't get her exercises done, her vocal chords would freeze up.

"I don't think you understand," Mercedes said, trying to catch Rachel's attention, "It's about Kurt."

"I'm sure we can talk about Kurt later," Rachel said, as her eyes flicked towards her clock, "Meet me in an hour at the Lima Bean."

"Rachel –" Mercedes tried again, but Rachel had already hung up and silenced her phone.

...

"San, I don't know what this means," Brittany spoke into her phone, after receiving a text message from Kurtsie. It took her quite some time to figure out that she couldn't talk into her phone to reply to the message.

"Well, what does it say?" Santana asked, in the nice tone that was reserved for Brittany.

"It's my time to go," Brittany read from her phone screen, "Time to go where?"

Santana was momentarily put on edge. She wished she could have been with Brittany right now to read the entire message, instead of hearing a snippet of it.

"Who's it from, sweetie?" Santana asked, hoping that an extra dose of pet names would give Brittany instant compliance.

"Kurtsie," Brittany happily said, wondering how he had managed to get the words from his phone to hers.

"Britt, I'll call you back later, okay?" Santana said, her mind in overdrive about those five foolish words that Brittany had told her.

"Okay," Brittany said, before her mind settled a bit from the upheaval that Kurt's text left her with, "Don't forget to meet me at the Lima Bean in a half an hour."

"I won't, boo," Santana said, wondering if Puckerman knew anything about this, "See you then."

...

"Yo," Puck said, mindlessly answering his phone, cradling it between his shoulder and ear.

"Puck, it's San," Santana said, fully knowing that he was probably wrapped up in some COD mission, "Have you heard from Kurt?"

"Dammit Finn," Puck mumbled, as his fingers flew over the buttons on the controller. His character on the screen struggled to keep up with Pucks' rapid button pressing.

"Puck!" Santana growled, which instantly caught Puck's attention.

"What?" Puck asked, as he lowered his character into a crevice far away from Finn's. He was sure he could get at least three minutes before he would need to run someplace else, or fight back.

"Have you heard from Kurt?" Santana tried again, as Puck kept his one hand steady on the controller, both eyes glued to the screen.

"Nope, why?" Puck asked, wondering why Santana was worried about Kurt, "What's wrong?"

"Brittany got a text from Kurt about being time to go," Santana said, as Puck struggled to keep up.

"Did they have plans?" Puck asked, not understanding why it was necessary for him to be involved in Brittany and Kurt's plans.

"Meet me and Britt Britt at the Lima Bean in twenty minutes," Santana commanded, before remembering that Puck mumbled something about Finn, "Get Finn to come, too."

"You owe me, Lopez," Puck said, as his hands flew to the buttons, trying to save his character from death.

"Only if you're there with Finn," Santana purred, knowing that a bit of sexual stimulation would get Puck to come.

"I'll see you there in twenty minutes," Puck promised, as he hung up, devoting his attention back to trying to defeat Finn.

...

"What are you guys doing here?" Rachel asked, walking into the Lima Bean. She noticed Puck, Finn, Quinn, Sam, Artie, Tina, and Mike huddled in the one booth.

They went around the table giving their tangled explanations for all being at the Lima Bean at the same time. Sam and Quinn were already on a coffee date. Tina and Mike came to get coffee with Mike's mom, who they ditched when Artie came into the store looking for some New Directions members. He was worried about the message that Kurt had sent Brittany. They all teamed up to piece together what they had so far. Puck and Finn joined next, just knowing that Blaine was looking for Kurt and Brittany had the holy message.

"I think I might have the same message," Mercedes offered, as she walked in behind Rachel.

"What does it say?" Rachel asked, wishing she had decided to skip her vocal exercises for the day. Kurt was more important than a perfect voice. Besides, it wouldn't kill her if she missed one day. If only she knew earlier.

...

The pavement was slicked with rain water, but it didn't stop Blaine from speeding the entire way down to Lima. The drive was normally near two hours, but he managed to slice it down to just a little over an hour and fifteen minutes. He knew the dangers of speeding, but he was pretty sure that Kurt just left him with a suicide text.

His phone started dangerously vibrating in its home in his cup holder. He knew it was illegal to talk on the phone, not to mention hazardous, especially because his car was flying twenty miles per hours over the speed limit. He wasn't trying to get himself a ticket, or killed, but Kurt was obviously in trouble. All normal rationale flew out the metaphorical window.

"Hello?" Blaine asked, pressing his phone to his ear.

"Blaine, it's Finn," Finn said, as Blaine smiled, it was about time he came around, "Where are you?"

"Racing towards Lima," Blaine said, his mind drifting back to when he really kicked up his speed about a half an hour ago; he compared it to driving the Daytona 500, "Why? Is Kurt with you?"

"Kurt's not with me, but I have the rest of New Directions," Finn awkwardly said, as Blaine waited for more, "We think we know what you know."

"Which would be what, Finn?" Blaine sort of snapped. He was running on pure adrenaline right now. He felt like those mothers who were able to lift a car to free their trapped kids. He felt like if push came to shove, he could do that.

"That Kurt's gonna... you know," Finn couldn't say it anymore than Blaine could.

"It's okay. I'm on my way. Where are you guys?" Blaine asked, getting off of the exit for Lima.

"We're at the Lima Bean. I'll stick around. We're all splitting up to find him," Finn said, as Blaine was grateful that Kurt had friends here, regardless of how many times he denied the fact that he had more than three close friends.

"I'll be there in five minutes," Blaine promised, hanging up, deciding to obey the speed limit signs because he was driving through a town that was almost always laced with cops. Besides, the twists of the road would prove difficult to handle in the rain.

...

"Where could he be?" Rachel was currently panicking in Mercedes passenger seat.

They had split up in respective couples: Sam and Quinn, Mike and Tina, Brittany and Santana, Puck and Artie, Mercedes and Rachel, Finn and Blaine. They were to stay with their buddy, be available for updates at all times, and to look every place they could think of.

"Watch, he's probably home," Mercedes scoffed, propelling her car towards the Hudmel home.

...

"Let's go to his dad's shop," Quinn said, giving Sam directions on how to get there.

"Do you think we should be the ones telling his dad?" Sam asked, assuming that Mr. Hummel knew nothing; otherwise they wouldn't have formed a ragtag team of teenagers to find Kurt.

"Well, then you're scheduling an oil change," Quinn said, grateful that she could think on her feet.

Her phone vibrated with a mass text from Santana.

...

"He told me he goes to see his mom a lot," Brittany said, wondering how he could see his mom, when she's under all that grass. She couldn't be bothered to think of how he talks to her because she's dead and can't talk back.

They arrived at the only cemetery in Lima. Santana paused, wondering how they would find Kurt's mom in the mass of headstones. They were quick to put their Cheerio cardio endurance to cover the cemetery grounds, before finding Elizabeth Grace Hummel's grave with fresh cut white daisies resting on it.

"You're brilliant, Britt," Santana said, enveloping Brittany in a short, tight hug in the pouring rain.

"But, Kurtsie's not here," Brittany gloomily said, ignoring the rain that soaked right through her clothes. Santana soothed Brittany by rubbing a hand up and down her back, before using her fingers flying over her keyboard on her phone.

"_He was with his mom earlier today. There's fresh daisies."_

...

"You're driving," Blaine said, as he walked into the coffee shop, not quite sure his trembling body would be able to handle another second behind the wheel of a vehicle. Finn nodded with understanding.

"He was at the cemetery earlier," Finn updated Blaine, as they walked to his car. Blaine got in the passenger seat, near a mental breakdown.

"Do you think we'll find him?" Blaine asked, his voice cracking because he could feel the rush of tears that threatened to spill over.

"Yeah, I think we will," Finn confidently said, though he wasn't sure that they would be able to find Kurt.

...

"Has anyone checked the park?" Brittany piped up from the passenger seat, as Santana drove through the winding suburbs of Lima.

"Why the park?" Santana asked, kind of just wanting to do her searching for Kurt from her car. She had been in the rain long enough to drench her to the bone, and she was just starting to dry out.

"We used to go to the park all the time. He loved looking over the railing at the waterfall below. I was always scared that he would fall over," Brittany slowly got her story out, as Santana stopped her car as swiftly as possible without hydroplaning on the slippery roads.

...

"Finn, get your ass to the park," Santana barked into Finn's phone that Blaine had answered.

"Why?" Finn asked, as Blaine fumbled with the speaker option.

"Brittany said that he loved the park, especially the bridge," Santana said, as Finn's foot stomped down on the accelerator faster than Blaine's had on his way to Lima.

"I'm like three minutes away," Finn said, as he could feel his car sliding a bit on the water slicked roads.

"Just get there in time," Brittany said, knowing that Kurt was worried about somebody not meeting him in time, "And, be sure to take him to the swings."

...

"Isn't that Santana?" Artie asked, as Puck drove down some random back road. He slowed down next to the vehicle, which Santana and Brittany were in.

"Is your car okay?" Puck asked through Artie's rolled down window, ignoring the rain that splashed into his car. Santana nodded as she rolled down her own window, revealing her soaked self.

"I'm just waiting to hear back from Finn," Santana said, hoping that her voice could be heard over the patter of the downpour, "We gave him a lead about the bridge at the park."

"It was my idea!" Brittany piped up, clearly enjoying that she was helpful for once.

"We'll wait with you guys," Puck yelled back, putting his car into park; the roads were empty at this time of night, and it wasn't hurting anyone.

...

"Do you think he could be getting coffee?" Tina asked, as Mike drove through the town part of Lima.

"We haven't been there in a while, and it couldn't hurt to check it out," Mike said, turning his car, so they could get to the Lima Bean.

"Hold on text from Rachel," Tina said, as Mike continued to drive, "There's a meeting on Howards Street."

"To Howards Street!" Mike said, performing a hasty K-turn to set them en route to Howards Street.

...

"I see him!" Blaine cried out, as he walked along the path with Finn. The bridge was on the opposite end of the park from where they parked. It would be a straight dive into a shallow, rocky river with a small waterfall.

"Don't startle him or anything," Finn stated the obvious, seeing that Kurt was standing on the slippery concrete ledge, supporting himself by a lamppost to keep his balance.

Blaine didn't say anything because he felt like his heart could burst upon impact. They found Kurt. And, he was alive. He was alive! His salty tears of momentary happiness mixed with the fat drops falling from the clouds.

...

Kurt had been building up the courage to do this for at least a week now. It wasn't a hasty decision. It was a massive build up of stress from the rigorous Dalton academics, feeling completely despondent when he was home, and the lack of New Directions in his life. But, the boiling point had been a few run ins with Karofsky in town. They always left him with a fresh bruise or gash on his side. He waited for someone to notice. Nobody did.

...

"Finn and Blaine found him at the park," Quinn read from her phone screen, even though she knew everyone else had received the same message from Finn. The group of teenagers was split between Puck's and Santana's cars, communicating through a single set of open windows.

"Should we join them?" Rachel asked the question that was everyone's minds.

"No, I think if anyone can get through to him, it's those two," Mercedes sullenly said, which was the answer that everyone else was thinking.

...

Kurt sent the message two hours ago to give everyone a last chance to make him see that he was cared for. Well, it was evident that they all let him down. He got off of the swings, talking to his mom the entire time, before hopping up on the ledge of the bridge.

The rain pelted down, but he didn't care. He couldn't even feel it anymore because he felt like he had been dragged through the ocean's rough currents, leaving him beaten and tattered. He gripped the lamppost in a similar fashion to the way he clenched onto the white daisies for his mom. His eyes were fixed on the raging river below him. He knew that it had a rocky bottom because in the summer the shallow river showed each of the dangerously sharp rocks below the bridge.

In the light of the lamppost, Kurt pulled out a razor, which he confiscated from his dad's shop; he had used them before to open boxes. But, recently he had been contemplating using it to tear open his porcelain skin. He hastily stabbed it in his arm, hissing as he twisted it, before tugging it along his wrist. He dropped the bloodied metal into the river.

All he needed was enough blood to leave his system, so he could woozily propel himself into the river. It was a foolproof plan.

...

"Kurt," Blaine softly said, joining him on the railing, ignoring the gel that was melting out of his hair from being so exposed to water.

"You're bleeding," Finn noted as the blood splashed on the ledge mixing with the rain.

"Why are you here?" Kurt rebutted, obviously not comprehending that people care about him, before whipping to Finn with a deadly glare, "You never noticed it before."

"Just let us get you to a hospital or something," Finn said, as Blaine set a hand against the small of Kurt's back.

"Don't touch me," Kurt hissed at the gentle touch, which felt like daggers due to the bruise from where Karofsky had stomped on him the previous night.

"_Just kill yourself, fag."_

"Kurt, we really need to get you help," Blaine said, ignoring the way that Kurt winced at his touch.

"I don't need help. I need to be with my mom who didn't care that I was a fag," Kurt said, the last word sounding like venom as it rolled off of his tongue.

...

"I'm worried. We haven't heard from them in a while," Tina said, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"That's it," Puck said, turning his key in the ignition, "We're going to the park."

"Buckle your seatbelts!" Rachel shouted out the window, as Puck's car drove off into the distance.

"We need to get to the park in time, San," Brittany urged, resting her hand on the Latina's. One touch was all it took for Santana to get her car going towards the park.

...

"Kurt, just get off the ledge," Finn said, trying to reason with his step-brother, who was scoffing at the idea of going to get help.

"I'll just jump off," Kurt nonchalantly said, as Blaine slipped his hand in Kurt's, trying his best to not make a show of the tears that were running from his eyes.

"If you jump off, you're taking me with you," Blaine said with a serious face, as Kurt's sticky blood ran in between their palms. Blaine watched as Kurt's facial expression softened for a beat.

Without a warning, Kurt swooned, his world going black. The way he teetered was left to chance, just the way he wanted it.

...

"Dude, he's bleeding," Puck said, running up next to Finn, who was cradling an unconscious Kurt in his arms.

"I know!" Finn shouted, hoping that Blaine had gotten to the car by now.

"Where's Blaine?" Mercedes said, as Tina and Mike got Artie in his wheelchair to join the debacle.

"He went to call 911, since I left my phone in the car," Finn said, as Tina knelt next the ex-New Directions member. She pressed her index finger to the carotid artery.

"He has a weak pulse," Tina almost melancholically said, as Finn let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Kurt was still alive.

...

"911, please state the nature of your emergency," A soothing female voice filled Blaine's ear, as he tried to gather his thoughts about Kurt.

"My friend tried to commit suicide," Blaine said, his voice shaking; he mentally kicked himself for losing his composure when he needed it the most.

"Where are you?" The female voice asked, calming Blaine a bit.

"By the bridge at Foley Park in Lima," Blaine said, grateful that there was a light illuminating the entrance sign to the park, otherwise he would have been helpless.

"We're sending an ambulance," The serene female voice was swirling in Blaine's ear yet again, "Please stay on the line with me."

...

"Did you call 911?" Rachel asked, as she arrived at the small huddle on the ground by the lamppost on the bridge.

"I'm on the line with them right now," Blaine said, his free hand tangled with Kurt's.

"How did we not notice this beforehand?" Rachel rhetorically asked, as the rain continued to soak the group.

Quinn started mumbling prayers under her breath. It didn't matter than Kurt didn't believe in God, but she did, and she knew this would at least help herself. Mercedes quickly joined in with Quinn's prayer, taking her hands in her own.

They were all snapped out of their internal Kurt-centric thoughts as ambulance sirens were heard off in the distance.

...

"We'd like to keep him overnight," Dr. Barnes said to Burt and Carole, who had been called by Finn during the ambulance ride over, "And, we'd like to check him into a psychiatric hospital for the next two weeks."

"I think that's best," Carole said, only after noticing that Burt wasn't able to talk.

"Let me just get you the paperwork," Dr. Barnes said, as Burt let himself cry for the third time in his life. The first time was his parents' divorce, then his wife's death, and Kurt almost successfully taking his life.

"It's okay to be scared," Carole said, wrapping her arms around her husband, "He's going to get help. He's going to be okay."

* * *

**If you made it through that entire thing, the least you could do it leave a little review. It's like my oxygen supply until Tuesday.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I didn't mean for this one to turn all religious, but it just kind of happened. Take it or leave it. And, I just couldn't seem to stop typing. I said the first chapter was long, well this one has two thousand words on that one. I'm sorry.**

**Warnings: Kurt's in a pshchiatric hospital, but if you made it through his suicide attempt, you should be fine.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Glee. One day...**

**Summary: Kurt just wants to be saved. It's all about hitting rock bottom, only to be brought back up by those who love you.**

* * *

Kurt had grown accustom to the strict T-shirt and sweats dress code at Lima Psychiatric Hospital. They keyword being accustom. He was in no way, shape, or form enjoying his new uniform. In fact, he found himself wishing that he could put together new outfits. He needed something solid in his life from before to now. In his spare time, he took to staring out the large windows, just thinking.

"Kurt, why don't you join in with our group therapy?" Nurse Ella said, in her gentle voice. Kurt shot her a look that he often used in Glee Club back at McKinley whenever Rachel was talking. Nurse Ella nodded, "Whenever you feel like opening up, we're going to be here for you."

Nurse Ella walked away as Kurt turned back to the large windows. His mind was racing through his recollection of the night that wound him up in this facility. His mind continually slipped into the feeling of Blaine's hand in his. It was silly, since they held hands before, but this felt like so much more.

...

"Can we visit Kurt today?" Rachel asked Finn, who was eating a large bowl of Captain Crunch, and sloppily answered his phone while his mouth was full of cereal.

"Finn, you should know not to answer the phone while eating," Carole reprimanded her son, who shot her a sheepish smile, as some milk seeped out. She winced as he swiped at the dribble.

"Mom, Rachel wants to know if we can visit Kurt today," Finn asked, upon swallowing his mouthful of Captain Crunch.

"It's only Burt and I this week. And, next week depends on how he starts cooperating with group therapy," Carole droned on, repeating the words she had said plenty of times. She was pretty sure that Noah's mom had called on his behalf to know when he could see Kurt.

"No, not this week," Finn said into his phone, his voice sounding awfully dull at the idea that Kurt would be trapped at the institution without contact to his friends.

...

"What does it take to get phone call privileges around here?" Kurt asked Nurse Ella, who was handing out the afternoon round of pills. Kurt was grateful to only take a blue pill in the morning, which he was almost certain was a placebo since nobody actually thought he was crazy.

"You need to participate in all group therapy sessions for three consecutive days to get a call to a family member," Nurse Ella said, as Kurt scoffed at the idea, "Five days for out of family."

Kurt tugged at the sleeve that was wrapped with white bandages from where he sliced his arm open. He was only allowed to see his dad and Carole for an hour with Nurse Ella present. It was tense to say the least. He really wanted to talk with Blaine, or Mercedes, even Rachel or Finn would do at this point.

...

"But, San, I just don't understand why he wanted to die," Brittany said, whispering the last word, as if saying it would make change the events of that night.

Santana didn't even need Brittany to use a name for her to understand the boy that was plaguing her mind. She shifted her phone from one ear to the other.

"Life got too hard," Santana bluntly said, not sure how else to word it. She could hear Brittany gasp on the other end of the line.

"My life gets hard when I can't remember where the bathroom is in school, or when Charity reads my dairy. But, I'd never want to die," Brittany innocently said, as Santana held back on a smile. It was moments like this that Santana realized why she could deal with Brittany's space case tendencies.

"Britt, he didn't mean it either. It was all an accident. He's fine now. It can only get better from here," Santana sweetly said, hoping that her words would be able to comfort Brittany with her obvious time of distress.

...

"I've been including him in all of my prayers," Quinn confessed to the Glee Club, as their conversation somehow landed back on Kurt.

"I went to Temple with my grandmother to say some prayers for him," Puck said, reminiscent of the way he told Kurt that he want to Temple when his dad was in the hospital.

"I lead a hymn dedicated to him," Mercedes piped up, her mind slipping back to when she brought Kurt to her church with her and dedicated the song to his father when he was standing right with her.

"You know, Kurt's not into the entire God, or Grilled Cheesus, thing," Finn reminded everyone, thinking back to way Kurt did accept their prayers for his dad. He couldn't help but think that prayers for him wouldn't be accepted either.

"I know that he's not religious, but I think it makes us feel better about it," Quinn snapped, as a heavy silence fell. It was obvious that everyone felt the same way.

...

"Kurt, are you joining us for our group session today?" Nurse Ella asked, her voice awfully cheery, as Kurt heavily swallowed.

"I'm more observing today," Kurt thoughtfully replied, with a shadow of a smile.

"It's progress," Nurse Ella noted, as her lips curled upwards.

...

"How do you think he's holding up?" Blaine asked, as a lull fell in his conversation with Mercedes. She called to ask him how Dalton was, even though they knew this was heading towards Kurt.

"He's Kurt," Mercedes said, as if this was a perfect explanation, which it was, before delving into, "He's strong. Stronger than he thinks he is. And, he's stubborn, so he's probably giving them hell."

"With his attitude, I could imagine," Blaine laughed, just thinking about how much sass everyone must be getting from him.

"It's a Kurt Hummel original," Mercedes said, her smile evident even over the phone.

"He's going to be okay, you know. We're going to get past this. And, he'll be back to directing his attitude towards us," Blaine said, noticing that they were talking about Kurt as if he had actually died.

"I can't wait for that," Mercedes said, her voice sounding hopeful for normalcy.

...

Kurt wandered the halls of the place holding him captive, looking for something to peak his interest. He wasn't sure what else there was to do around here, except stare out the windows and ignore group therapy.

During his walk is when he found it. The large piano, tucked off in a locked room with a small window. It was taunting him. His body ached to sing. He was always better at expressing himself in song than he was with actual words. He was pretty sure he had stolen those words from Blaine. A smile settled onto Kurt's face when the mop top's face popped into his mind.

"What are you looking for Kurt?" Nurse Ella's voice snapped Kurt from his internal pangs to plink at the piano keys, matched with his voice.

"How much cooperation is needed for piano privileges?" Kurt asked, wondering if it was more or less than a call to Blaine.

"It's off limits to patients," Nurse Ella said, not enjoying how fast Kurt's face had fallen, "But, if you convince me that it's beneficial to your healing and opening up, I'll let you in for a half an hour, if you participate in tomorrow's group session."

"I'll think about it," Kurt said, biting down on his lower lip. Opening up about why he got himself here. He didn't think that'd be a fun road to go down. But, the piano was right there.

...

"Noah, what is so important that you called me at –" Rachel looked to her clock with its bright red digital number staring back at her "– five oh seven in the morning?"

"Being good Jews, I was wondering if you'd like to accompany me to Temple," Noah said, his silent words being _to say a word for Kurt_.

"I'd love to," Rachel said, agreeing to Puck's unsaid words.

...

"Apparently, Kurt opened up at group therapy today," Burt said over his low cholesterol dinner; even without Kurt breathing down his neck about eating healthy, he still had it enforced.

"How did it go?" Carole conversationally said, knowing that Kurt had been resistant to open the entire time he had been there. In fact, she wasn't sure that people knew his name.

"He told them his name, where he was from, what he did for fun... those kinds of things," Burt recalled what Nurse Ella had told him about Kurt's progress, "It's not much, but it's a start."

"He's coming around," Carole said, resting one hand on Burt's.

"Does that mean we'll be able to visit him soon?" Finn asked, his voice full of hope. He couldn't imagine being stowed away without being able to talk to his friends.

"If he keeps going with what he did today, then yes," Burt said, as things started to look up.

...

"Kurt, you're already here," Nurse Ella said, as she began to set up for group therapy. She was excited that Kurt was back early for round two. It only got harder from the first day.

"I didn't have anything better to do," Kurt shrugged, licking his chapping lips, "I was wondering if I could have some piano time after this."

"Only if you share more today," Nurse Ella warned, before adding with a smile, "And, because I think it could help you, since you were so involved with Glee clubs."

...

"We should be able to visit soon," Finn said, walking into Glee Club with this dopey smile because he might be able to see Kurt soon. He'd never admit it, but he really missed having the diva around.

"It's about time," Artie said, as the rest of the group whispered about plans for when they would finally see him.

"Do you think it would be too much to make him a card or something?" Tina softly offered up over the buzz, "Just for now, to show him we still care."

"No, I think that's a great idea," Rachel said, her mind already driving with plans to make this spectacular card.

"I could give it to my mom to bring with her when she goes up there next," Finn said, as everyone started voicing their ideas for a card. It had to be cute, but not cheesy. And, sincere enough, but not sappy. They sure had their work cut out for them.

...

"So, why don't you tell us why you're here?" Nurse Ella said, with a look that almost read: Answer and you get the piano. It was killing Kurt to be under her gaze like this.

"I tried to kill myself, I guess," Kurt said, the words sounding foreign as he said them for the first time.

"Why?" Nurse Ella asked, as Kurt could feel the anxious glances from everyone else in the circle focused on him. He wasn't one to crack under pressure, but this was nearly crippling him.

"Karofsky," Kurt breathed one name, his voice growing low and shaky. Nurse Ella nodded with a comforting smile, before moving her eyes to the person to Kurt's left.

...

"We're making a card for Kurt today at the Lima Bean. We're taking up that back booth with crayons and markers and paper and scissors. We thought you'd like to join us," Rachel's voice sounded chipper as it filled the shell of Blaine's ear.

Blaine nearly tripped over his feet running out of Warbler practice, which Wes and David had given him some leniency with given the state of Kurt. He redialed Rachel, only missing her call by minutes, as he got behind the steering wheel of his car.

"Hi Blaine," Rachel greeted the Dalton boy, not giving him time to answer, "You'll be joining us, right? I think he'd like it if you name was on the card as well."

"I'll be there in an hour," Blaine promised, tearing it out of the Dalton parking lot, much in the fashion he had when he realized that Kurt was in initial trouble.

...

"Hey kiddo," Burt said, walking into Kurt's individual room in the ward. Nurse Ella was no longer required during their meetings, but this meant that Burt had to hand over anything even remotely dangerous before entering. This is why Burt was wearing just his socks, and not in possession of his belt, keys, or phone.

"Hi dad," Kurt said, his mood elevated from his half an hour session with the piano the afternoon before. He played simple songs along the likes of Mary Had a Little Lamb while Nurse Ella quietly sang along in the corner.

"I have something for you," Burt said, presenting the envelope to his son, who beamed as his hands fumbled to undo the seal, "Finn said that Glee Club of yours, plus Blaine, made you a card."

Kurt was hindered speechless from the intricate drawings on the cover of the card. It looked like they each chose a weapon of choice as they drew shapes, pictures, squiggles, lyrics, and just general non-sense. He could feel tears stinging at his eyes. He opened the card, only to see Blaine's neat block print message, which only Brittany Pierce could have chosen the opening for.

_Dear Kurtsie,_

_We've all been worried about you. But, we learned that you've been doing better during your group sessions, and we might be able to visit soon. We're keeping our fingers crossed. We can't wait to see you. And, we were hoping that this card will suffice to show you how much we care about you._

_WE LOVE YOU!_

_PS. It took us two hours of sitting in the back booth of the Lima Bean to get this done. We've officially dubbed it Kurt's Table._

Along with individual signatures gracing the edges of the message, which only Rachel Berry could have worded. Kurt smiled, a free tear breaking free. He wrapped his arms around his dad; it was the closest he'd get to actually hugging his friends in gratitude.

"Can you tell them that I don't think I could ever thank them enough for this?" Kurt asked, as he buried his face into the soft flannel of his father's shirt.

...

"Who's taking care of his bird?" Brittany whispered during the Glee Club meeting after they delivered Kurt's card.

"What bird?" Sam asked, not sure how birds and their Regionals song selection connected. Yet, in her mind, anything was possible.

"Kurt had a bird," Brittany slowly said, as she remembered it chirping in the background during their afternoon phone conversations, "Someone has to feed it."

"Oh, Pavarotti," Finn mindlessly said, "Blaine adopted it for now."

"Can you tell Blaine not to feed Pavarotti glitter?" Brittany said, butchering the bird's name, as Finn nodded, his brows knitting in the middle.

...

"You mentioned Karofsky the other day," Nurse Ella refreshed Kurt's mind at his third consecutive day of group therapy, "Care to elaborate?"

Kurt bit down on his lower lip. He didn't need a reminder that he mentioned Karofsky yesterday; it had been plaguing his thoughts since he said the name. He was tempted to go back to staring out the window, but if he could just get a bit more out today, he'd be able to call Finn. Besides, it put him so much closer to calling Blaine, Mercedes, or Rachel.

"He bullied me a lot back at McKinley," Kurt said, keeping his composure intact. Nurse Ella encouraged him to keep talking. Kurt licked his lips, "It was a lot of slander, shoving, dumpster dives, and slushies."

"Did he make you leave McKinley, Kurt?" Nurse Ella said, her voice comforting whispering his name.

Kurt nodded, before his teeth clamped down on his lower lip until he could taste metallic blood dancing on his taste buds. Tears stung at his eyes as she shot him a proud smile before moving onto the next person.

...

"Have you heard from Kurt?" Wes asked, cornering Blaine after one of the Warbler rehearsals.

"No, but his step-brother told me that they took away his phone. And, in order to get phone calls he has to participate in therapy, which is probably killing him," Blaine reiterated Finn's previous words, a lingering sigh ending the speech. He just wanted to hear Kurt's voice.

"The Council is here for you, if you want to talk," Wes said, patting Blaine on the shoulder, before leaving him to his solitude.

...

Kurt shakily dialed his home number, hoping that someone other than his dad would pick up. Or, that someone would pick up period. He had fifteen minutes on the phone. And, he planned on using them.

"Hello?" Finn answered, as Kurt let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, "Is someone there?"

"Hi Finn," Kurt said, his voice almost jumping ship.

"Who's on the phone, honey?" Carole asked from the background. Kurt smiled. He could almost smell the homely scent drifting through the phone.

"It's Kurt," Finn announced, as Kurt could hear the excitement in his voice.

"Oh, let me talk to him," Carole said, her voice growing louder, until a change of hands could be heard through the receiver, "Hi dear, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing okay," Kurt said, not wanting the conversation to focus on him; he was done with being focused on, "I miss you guys."

"We miss you too, darling," Carole said, her smile evident even though they were miles apart, "Are you coming home soon?"

"I sure hope so," Kurt said, wishing that it was easier to just go home. He had to open up for seven group sessions, then an individual session with a Doctor Something-or-Another, before he could even think of leaving. On the bright side, he was halfway to meeting Doctor Something-or-Another.

...

"When I went to visit him today, he was playing the piano for Nurse Ella," Burt recalled, snaking his arm around Carole's shoulder as she climbed into their bed, "I don't think I've ever seen him happier."

"Do you think Nurse Ella would allow you to bring him sheet music?" Carole asked, knowing for a fact that Kurt only knew a few basic songs offhand.

"I could always ask tomorrow," Burt said, wrapping his arm tighter around his wife, while his mind wondered when Kurt would finally be able to see Carole and Finn, at the least.

...

"I'd like to propose a toast to Kurt," Rachel said to New Directions, who were all beat down from a long rehearsal for Regionals. Her dads had brought in some pizza and soda to tide the teenagers over.

"To Kurt," New Directions chimed back, their solo cups held in the air. Regardless of the petty drama in their lives, and the fact that Kurt was no longer a part of their group, he was able to pull them together. It was a feat within itself.

...

"How did Karofsky make you leave McKinley?" Nurse Ella asked, as Kurt wished they could have lingered on schizophrenic outburst from the girl across the room. He wished that it would had at least gotten Nurse Ella off track to the point where should would forget that he had yet to talk today.

"He just bullied me," Kurt said, crossing his arms over his chest. Day Four. If he could just get through this, and one more day, he could talk to Blaine. He just wanted to talk to Blaine at this point.

"Kurt, it's important that you share, we're all here to take the burden from you," Nurse Ella said, as Kurt sullenly nodded. He knew that talking to other people could help. But, he'd prefer to sing his troubles away. Oh well. Here goes nothing...

"He kissed me. But, he was so far in the closet that he threatened to kill me if I told anyone," Kurt started, before the words seemed to flawlessly flow, "He got expelled for his death threat, which on the records was just because I'm gay. I didn't tell anyone, except Blaine, about the kiss. But, the school board overturned the expulsion because there wasn't enough evidence. I couldn't stay there anymore. I ran."

"You didn't run. You did what anyone else in your place would have done," Nurse Ella said, as Kurt watched the bobbing heads of agreement from his peers.

...

"Hey kiddo," Burt said, walking into his son's room at the hospital, "What's wrong?"

"I don't belong here," Kurt spat, as Burt took a seat on the side of his bed. Burt knew that Elizabeth, or even Carole, would be much better at handling this than he could ever try.

"From what Nurse Ella tells me, you've been opening up a lot more. She says that you'll be ready to go home soon," Burt said, smoothing his son's golden hair, "And, she said that I could bring Finn tomorrow for a bit."

"Really?" Kurt asked, his day looking up, as a smile graced his face.

"Really," Burt affirmed Kurt's question. He'd give the world to always see that smile on his son's face.

...

"Would it be wrong if I asked you to come to Church with me to sing a song for Kurt?" Mercedes asked Rachel as Glee Club wrapped up for the day, "It's just that every week, we dedicate our prayers and hymn to a person in need. I did it once with Kurt for his dad. But, I'd like it if you could help me with Kurt."

Rachel chewed on the inside of her cheek, internally debating going to Church with Mercedes.

"Besides, I need your vocals to help lead the hymn with me," Mercedes said, knowing that you could never go wrong complimenting Rachel's vocal talents.

"I'll do it," Rachel said, agreeing under the same terms that she agreed to her Temple outing with Noah.

...

"Hey, man, I'm going to see Kurt later today. Want me to pass a message to him?" Finn asked, the second him and Blaine were done exchanging pleasantries on the phone.

"You're going to see Kurt?" Blaine asked, knowing that extra family privileges meant that he was getting better.

"Yeah," Finn shortly answered, sensing Blaine's smile on his end of the line.

"Can you tell him that Pavarotti is doing well? Oh, and that I miss him," Blaine said, almost afraid of being too blunt with his second request. But, best friends were allowed to miss each other, right?

"Sure thing, dude," Finn said, wondering if Blaine liked Kurt in the way that Kurt liked Blaine.

...

"How was seeing your family yesterday, Kurt?" Nurse Ella asked, as an opening to going back into talking about Karofsky.

"It was nice. I miss them a lot," Kurt droned, his stomach flittering around because Blaine missed him. Blaine missed him. Oh, he felt like he was floating now.

"That's good," Nurse Ella said, her sincerity ringing, before adjusting her notebook in her hands, "If Karofsky ended you up at Dalton, with it's no bullying policy, then what was the breaking point?"

Kurt took in a deep breath. This was the day he was dreading. He didn't tell anyone about this. Not a single soul. All thoughts of Blaine missing him dispersed, as terrorizing Karofsky memories haunted his mind. If he could mutter a word, he could call Blaine. He hummed, trying to find a piece of confidence.

"I lived at home while at Dalton, so I was still in Lima," Kurt started, obviously stalling for him. He set his gaze to the floor, "Karofsky was still in Lima. He would find me. He would always find me. And, there was nobody around to stop him. He'd beat me more than he did at school."

"That's enough for today, Kurt," Nurse Ella said, as Kurt's tears broke the damn. He angrily swiped at them as Nurse Ella passed a tissue box around the circle.

...

"Hello?" Blaine answered an unrecognizable number just two minutes before Warbler rehearsal was due to start.

"Hi Blaine," Kurt whispered, as Blaine forgot how to breathe. Kurt was calling him, which meant he was getting better. Oh God. His voice sounded lovely.

"Blaine, are you okay?" Wes asked from sitting behind the table. The curly haired boy snapped out of his haze with a slight nod to Wes. He should probably answer the boy on the other end of the line.

"Hi Kurt," Blaine said, his smile evident over the phone. The Warblers in the room chimed 'hello Kurt' before decomposing into whispers.

"I heard that you missed me," Kurt teased, as Blaine blushed. He hadn't meant for his face to flame up so fast, but the damage was done. He would be deflecting comments about this phone call for weeks.

"I think it's a two way street," Blaine boldly said, as the silence on the line solidified his thought.

...

"Hey, Mercedes," Finn whispered, as Glee Club waned on. Mr. Schue was ranting about how their Regionals performance should be more of this, less of that, and just generally awesome if they were even going to have a shot at winning.

"What Finn?" Mercedes asked, leaning back in her chair a bit to talk with the gangly boy.

"My mom says that Kurt can have an outside visitor today. I know that he'd like to see you," Finn muttered, as Mercedes smile grew to show all of her teeth.

"Are you sure?" Mercedes asked, not wanting to intrude in on Kurt's family time, or backpedal his progress.

"I'm positive," Finn said, as Mercedes settled back in her chair. She was just buzzing with energy about seeing her best friend again.

...

Day Six. One more day, then Kurt would have his analysis with Dr. Humphrey. He would be free. Sweet freedom. He could almost taste it. He could be back at home with his friends, and back at Dalton with Blaine.

"Kurt," Nurse Ella said, snapping Kurt out of his post-freedom plans, "We'd like it if you would just talk about your friends today."

Easy enough for his sixth day.

"There's Finn, my brother from another mother," Kurt said, with a chuckle, "There's Mercedes. She's my best friend and the first person I came out to. Then, Rachel, she's kind of a brand of her own; we used to hate each other, but ever since she realized that Karofsky had been ripping on me, she's told me that I'm not alone.

"Brittany is a space case, who helped me realize that I'm _not_ interested in girls. The rest of Glee Club at McKinley deserves to be mentioned, but not individually. They're my friends, but it's not as personal. And, then there's Blaine. He helped me with the transition to Dalton, after a bit of misguided advice to have courage to stand up to Karofsky."

"So, who did you specifically tell that you wanted to kill yourself?" Nurse Ella asked, as Kurt unconsciously tugged at his sleeve where his angry cut was healing.

"Mercedes, Finn, Blaine, and Brittany," Kurt said, remembering how he strategically picked them for word to travel fastest. He didn't want to die. He wanted to be saved. But, it kind of all blew up in his face when no one immediately came to save him.

...

"You saw Kurt yesterday?" Rachel shrieked the second she caught Mercedes walking into Glee Club prematurely.

"Carole asked Finn if he could ask me. It was just a test run for how he would react with other people," Mercedes said, remembering the disclaimer that he told her about spreading the news about seeing Kurt.

"Well, how's it looking?" Rachel asked, nearly bouncing in her seat.

"Burt gets to select who gets to visit him for his group of five," Mercedes happily said, as Rachel couldn't hold back on her squeal.

...

"I was thinking Mercedes, Rachel, Finn, Blaine, and Brittany," Carole casually said over dinner; she knew that Burt wouldn't have the slightest clue as to how to create a group of five people that mean the most to Kurt.

"Why them?" Burt grunted, not sure why he couldn't just keep sending Finn and Mercedes. He knew that Kurt liked their company.

"They're Kurt's closest friends," Carole reasoned, not mentioning how she had managed to use her way around the computer to see who Kurt had sent his suicide text message to. She knew those people meant the most to him.

...

"Kurt, you're excused from this group session for today," Nurse Ella said, as Kurt went to sit down at his place in the circle.

"Why?" Kurt asked, immediately panicked. He needed to fulfill his seventh day to get in with Dr. Humphrey to get clearance to leave.

"Just meet me back here after dinner," Nurse Ella said, with an all-knowing smile.

"Can I get into the piano room until then?" Kurt deviously whispered, as Nurse Ella slipped him the keys.

...

"Your seventh group session," Nurse Ella said, opening a door to the conference room that he had previously talked to his father in.

But, his dad wasn't waiting for him; it was Blaine, Mercedes, Rachel, Brittany, and Finn. It felt like things were going back to normal. He was nearly drunk from the warm smiles from his friends. The stupor only got denser as they enveloped him in a group hug. Brittany's hand were instantly reaching for his normally baby smooth ones, but his stint here would take weeks of moisturizing to get his skin back to its prime.

"What happened to your arm?" Brittany gasped, her eyes landing on the healing pink scar. Kurt instantly flushed, as his mind started to reel. Why couldn't he just wear a sweatshirt today? It would have hidden it all.

"Honey, let's go look at the view," Mercedes peeled Brittany away from the scene of the crime with an apologetic look.

"How have you been?" Rachel asked, her hand stroking Kurt's upper arm in a comforting way.

"I've been good," Kurt nostalgically said, with a shadow of a smile, as Nurse Ella blended into the background with her notepad.

"The Warblers have been quiet without you standing up to the Council all the time," Blaine said, picking up the lull in the room, "I think Wes misses you because it can't use his gavel as much."

"I know someone else who missed me," Kurt sing-songed, with an idiotic smile that nearly made Rachel's heart burst.

...

"I'd like to talk to you about the idea of a possible release," Nurse Ella said, stopping Burt and Carole mid-walk to Kurt's room.

"When?" Carole asked, her face lighting up like a firework at the idea of having Kurt back home.

"He's been here for two weeks, which is the recommended time for someone without severe underlying issues. He's really opened up this past week. He just has to go in for an analysis with Dr. Humphrey to issue a release that he's not harmful. Then, he's all yours," Nurse Ella said, feeling proud of the progress Kurt had made.

"When's the earliest we can have him home?" Burt asked, a smile setting on his face.

"I was thinking tomorrow evening. If he goes in to see Doctor Humphrey in the morning, the papers can be signed by lunch, and he can be yours by dinner," Nurse Ella said, adjusting the packet of notes she had taken on Kurt Hummel during his stay at the hospital.

...

"Burt said that he'll be home for dinner tomorrow. We're all throwing him a dinner party. And, I know that he'd like you there," Finn said into his phone, as Blaine tried to hold his composure.

"He's being released?" Blaine asked, his brain stuck on the idea that everything could be going back to normal as soon as possible.

"If he passes some test with Dr. Hump-Something," Finn said, skewing the information that his mom and Burt had told him about Kurt's homecoming. He made it sound like a test given in school by and then Kurt would be free.

"I'll be there tomorrow night," Blaine said, skipping over everything that Finn just said.

...

"We've already arranged a temporary restraining order against David Karofsky, which you can all feel free to renew or make permanent," Dr. Humphrey said, as Kurt was nearly bouncing in his seat. He was almost released. It was just a matter of dotting the i's and crossing the t's.

"And, we'd like to give Kurt our number for whenever he feels like he's in a situation like last time," Nurse Ella said, slipping Kurt a sleek business card, which she had handwritten her cell phone number on. He gave her a bold smile at the extra action she had taken during his stay.

"But, we hope that we don't have to see him again," Dr. Humphrey said, standing up behind his desk. Burt and Carole followed suit, shaking hands with the aging doctor.

"We'd like to thank you for everything," Burt said, making eye contact with Dr. Humphrey then Nurse Ella.

"Thank you for the piano time," Kurt mouthed as Nurse Ella, who smiled at his silent gratitude.

...

"We're home! Finally!" Kurt shouted out in joy before his father could even put the car in park. He was running into his house before the car even stopped its whirring.

Kurt flung open his front door, only to see all of New Directions plus Blaine scattered in his living room. His eyes grew large, taking in the scene, before he realized that he was wearing sweat. Kurt Hummel does not own sweats. Even on the weekend, he was dressed to the nines, or at least the fives. Sweats were barely hitting a one.

"How could you not tell me that everyone was going to be here?" Kurt huffed at his parents, before stomping off to his room. He stopped halfway up the staircase before realizing how selfish that had been. He turned to face the crowd on the first floor, "Thank you for this. I just need to freshen up."

...

"God, this is dumb," Blaine whispered to himself, stopping outside of Kurt's door. Rachel had convinced him to come up here to tell him how he feels, but she might as well have ordered him a death sentence. There was no way that Kurt felt the same way that he did, and if he did, he wasn't going to want a boyfriend after all of this. Why did he listen–

"Hey," Kurt said, startled by the sudden appearance of his friend as he stopped short. He had just finished changing, as Blaine burned a hole in the hallway floor from his pacing. He became aware of Blaine's eyes glued to his choice of simple black skinny jeans and cerulean bondage shirt.

"Uh, hi Kurt," Blaine sputtered, trying not to stare, "Welcome home!"

"Thank you," Kurt said with a small smile as his cheeks flamed up. The burn in his cheeks only got more prominent as Blaine leaned in for a tight hug.

"I'm glad that you're back home," Blaine's voice softened, in a way that made it all feel kind of intimate. Kurt gave a sheepish smile, as Blaine slowly leaned in, waiting the Kurt to pull away in disgust. Kurt stayed still as Blaine's lips made gentle contact with Kurt's forehead.

* * *

**I would just like to thank everyone who favorited, alerted, and reviewed this. You guys are all so precious.**


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